The Bengals scouting department has long been a point of conversation and finger-pointing among those looking for reasons to criticize the Bengals.

True, the Cincinnati scouting department would rank among the fewest employees in the league at seven. They have three scouts (Robert Livingston, Steven Radicevic and Greg Seamon), two consultants (John Cooper, Bill Tobin) and one personnel assistant (Debbie LaRocco). They work under the guidance of director of player personnel Duke Tobin.

Pointing to one department would be an easy out upon critiquing. In an era where scouting services and prospect analysis pour in at suffocating mass quantities, the overabundance of available research makes for a unique dynamic in the Bengals war room.

More importantly, unique results in building a deep roster many in the league envy.

"We are streamlined and we don't have people falling all over each other going across the country," Tobin said. "We are streamlined for a reason. We've got three guys who have been drafting players in this league for 40 years each (Mike Brown, Pete Brown, Bill Tobin). You know what, when you get an opinion from a guy who has been doing it 40 years do you need three other opinions? Probably not. You probably need one more or two."

The Bengals system and recent results are tough to argue. In the last five years they've produced four Pro Bowlers and 14 regular starters, many of which were drafted in the later rounds.

A philosophy centers on utilizing the coaching staff as more influential next level of prospect analysis. This provides a one-two punch of picking the best players along with those best fit to develop under this staff.

"I really like the way Mike Brown has it set up here," defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said. "His father always believed a coach should have an influence on who you are taking. I have been to other places where you rank your guys you are not even going to draft them on draft day and don't have any say. We all work really well together, the scouts and the coaches, it's a good way to do it."

Once the scouts finish seven months of evaluation leading up to the Senior Bowl they continue on but the torch also passes for the coaches to pick up where they left off with a foundation of their research. Both sides reconvene for the final few months of deliberations.

"They take care of our mistakes and we take care of their mistakes," Tobin said. "Rarely if there is a mistake being made, it's not being made on both sides it's being made on one side. Then the other side catches it. It's a pretty good way to do it to have two separate entities working at it."

Since 2009 and not counting undrafted players, the Bengals found seven starters from last year's AFC North championship squad in the third round or later (DE Michael Johnson, P Kevin Huber, DT Geno Atkins, OL Clint Boling, WR Mohamed Sanu, WR Marvin Jones and S George Iloka).

The last five years produced a run of strong drafts for Cincinnati and the correlation between consistency in Marvin Lewis and the coaching staff as well as the primary scouts working alongside them isn't viewed as coincidence inside the Bengals war room.

"Really, that is our No. 1 strength is experience," Tobin said. "When you get opinions from these guys they matter and when opinions vary, that matters. Then when opinions are the same that really matters.

"We are not looking for more opinions, we are looking for the right opinions." ■